Sprite, ‘Sprite Shower’

An international success, Sprite’s ‘Sprite Shower’ campaign saw hundreds of beach-goers in Brazil step into a giant Sprite-branded soda dispenser for a refreshing shower on a hot summer’s day. This kind of guerilla-style – in your face and on the streets – marketing can be risky, but when done well it can be highly effective.

After their shower, people were given chilled cans of Sprite, thus creating a subconscious link in consumers’ heads that Sprite is similar to the cooling feeling of a cold shower on a warm beach. Additionally, the visuals for the rest of the world are very striking, showing crowds of people desperate to have their Sprite shower and can of cold Sprite straight afterwards, planting the seed of imminent refreshment in their minds.

Heineken, ‘Now You Can’

The brilliance of Heineken’s ‘Now You Can’ campaign comes from how it subverts expectations. At first, you’re led to believe the conflict will come from a man drinking a beer in his car, only for it to be revealed as an alcohol-free Heineken. In the ending twist of the advert, you see that the man is receiving a parking ticket for being parked illegally, rather than drinking. The campaign’s strapline – ‘Now you can’ – suggests that not only can you now enjoy a beer safely and responsibly due to the lack of alcohol, but it shows that being sober does not always equate to being sensible!
While we have previously visited the best Christmas campaigns of all time, with last week’s heatwave, we can’t help but wonder what the best summer marketing campaigns have been in recent years. From refreshing sodas to post-lockdown parties, here at Rooster, we have taken a quick glimpse back at our favourite summer marketing campaigns of all time.

Coca-Cola, ‘Share a Coke’

While Coke is very renowned for its Christmas campaigns, its summer marketing endeavours should not be overlooked. ‘Share a Coke’ is probably familiar to you – launching in the UK market back in 2013 and continuing until as late as 2019 in some areas of the world – it was a wide-reaching campaign that worked a treat for the soda giant.

The premise is so simple: Share a Coke with a loved one. To achieve this, Coke started by placing 250 common names (regionally specific) in place of their ‘Coca-Cola’ brand name on one side of their iconic bottles. The names were under a tagline of ‘Share a Coke with’ and encouraged consumers to find bottles with their names on, or grab one for a friend if you spot their name instead, asking the buyer to pick up a bottle more than they usually would. Consumers had fun finding familiar names on bottles out in the wild, and Coca-Cola enjoyed an increased slice of the teen soda market during the campaign.

Wrigley’s Extra Gum, ‘For When it’s Time’

The end of the national lockdowns last year was a momentous day for a lot of us. To channel this feeling of freedom, relief, and community, Wrigley’s started their ‘For When it’s Time’ campaign. The ads started just before the scheduled end of the UK’s third official lockdown and featured a cast of individuals all celebrating with mixed delight and incredulity that they can finally go outside, meet each other, and have physical contact with their loved ones.
With Céline Dion’s ‘It’s All Coming Back to Me Now’ playing triumphantly in the background, this satirical look at post-pandemic life certainly got us ready to see the outside world once again!

Specsavers, ‘It’s Coming Home’

Last year, England was gripped by football fever due to our team’s brilliant performance in the Euros! As such, ‘It’s Coming Home’ became the tagline for all of the summer of 2021, as everyone in the country sat on the edge of their seats hoping that the beloved game would come home.

To capitalise on this national sentiment, Specsavers ran a print ad campaign featuring the phrase ‘It’s Coming Home’ designed like an eye test chart. This simple but topical design gained much attention on Twitter and encapsulated the country’s optimistic mood.

The Rooster way

If you’re looking to nail the best summer marketing campaigns for years to come, be sure to get in touch with Rooster Marketing today.